To See Him Once More
by Kinkatia
Summary: Torn apart from one another in a battle to be remembered. Now, Dr. Riddles wants only to ease his loneley heart, and see Kido again...one last time...before it's too late...


**Any Zatch Bell fan who missed the episode, _Dr. Riddles, You'll Always be My King! _is a loser! That tragic episode is what finally got under my skin and made me cry! If it wasn't for the commercials, I would have been bawling like a baby! It was so…tragic. And now I must honor the bond between Dr. Riddles and Kido with this fic, while putting all others on hold! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Zatch Bell, Kido's book would not have been burned, not like that. It would have been in a match between friends, to see who would make the best kind king!**

To See Him Once More

"_Remember the plans I've laid out for you," Dr. Riddles said weakly. "You must defeat Zofis, before it is too late."_

"_Don't you'a worry, Dr. Riddles," Folgore said, trying to keep the sadness he was feeling from his voice. _

"_That's right!" Kanchomé added. "We'll beat him for sure!"_

"_And please, be on your guard. Zofis is more dangerous than any mamodo we have faced so far." _

"_We will," assured Tia, with Zatch nodding vigorously. _

"_I'm glad," Dr. Riddles said softly. "I'm glad that you've all made it this far. We've decimated the enemy's numbers, while only losing one mamodo on our team." It was the first time he'd spoken of Kido since that fateful day when his book was burned. A tear slid down his face as he whispered, "If only I could see him once more. That's all I could wish for." He exhaled slowly, his eyes dropping closed. "My only wish…is to see him…once more…" He did not take another breath._

_Almost immediately, everyone started crying. They'd known his death was coming, but it was too much to bear. He had become a close friend to them all. Li-en turned to Wonrei, and he held her gently, letting her sob out her grief. The other mamodo turned to their human partners for comfort, almost unable to accept the fact that their beloved Dr. Riddles was gone._

"Wh-where am I?" Dr. Riddles looked around him in wonder. He was outdoors, but nothing seemed familiar. There were no buildings nearby, at least none that he could see, and everything was so _green_. It was as if he'd been dropped into an otherworldly paradise.

"Dr. Riddles? Is that really you?" a familiar voice asked. He turned around to see none other than Kido standing behind him.

Tears welled up in his eyes. "Kido!" he cried, smiling broadly. "It's good to see you again!"

"It really is you!" the small mamodo exclaimed happily. "I've missed you so much, Dr!" He ran forward, jumping into Dr. Riddle's outstretched arms.

But…he passed right through the old doctor. "No," he whispered, falling to his knees. "So it really happened."

"Wh-what happened?" Kido asked, coming to stand in front of his friend. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to be completely honest with you," he said sadly. "I never recovered from the injuries I sustained in our last battle together. I'm no longer alive, and my spirit must have come here, so I could see you one last time."

Kido's face fell. He couldn't believe it. Nothing could ever happen to Dr. Riddles. It just didn't seem possible. Then he remembered how his friend had always joked around with him, and he'd fallen for it every time. "Oh, I get it! You're just kidding, right?"

The old doctor shook his head slowly. "No, Kido. Not this time. I can already feel myself being pulled from this world. I don't have long."

"No! It can't be true!" Kido started to cry, wanting to wake up and realize it had all been a bad dream. But it wasn't and he knew it.

"Listen, Kido," Dr. Riddles said with a smile. "I'm proud of you. You were very brave, and you fought until the very end. Don't cry; this is an opportunity for us. Now, we can say a proper goodbye."

"Dr, I don't want you to go. You're my best friend!"

"And you're my best friend, too. I want to thank you for being such a joy in my life. Take care of yourself, Kido. Goodbye." Bye now, he was fading, and Kido was crying even harder.

"G-Goodbye, Dr. Riddles."

"You'd better stop crying, or you'll turn blue," Dr. Riddles warned.

"R-really?"

"Just kidding!" Kido laughed, wiping his tears. Dr. Riddles was trying to cheer him up, and he wouldn't ruin their goodbye.

**It's so sad!!! Why did Kido have to go? Why did Dr. Riddles have to get hurt? Why did this not turn out to be as good as I imagined it to be?!?!?!?!?!?! Oh well, I've vented my sadness by creating more sadness. Deal with it!**


End file.
